Blog Post

By: Natalie Gochnour

In their recent book, “The New Localism: How Cities Can Thrive in the Age of Populism”, Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak detail how power in decision making has shifted downward from national-and-state-level governments to city-level and metropolitan communities. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute was pleased to host a conversation with Katz and Nowak, along with Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, in January 2018 as part of its series of Informed Decisions Seminars, to explore how this shift may affect the Wasatch Front and how we can embrace the change to build on new opportunities.

The Wasatch Front is at a tipping point of change with a growing population, exciting plans for the “Silicon Slopes” and an upcoming bid to once again host the Olympics. Salt Lake City, Draper, Lehi, Provo, and others serve as catalysts for more positive economic growth. Katz and Nowak say that “Cities are on the front line of the changing dynamics of population and cultural changes” because they solve hard problems with pragmatism and cooperation. Mayor Ben McAdams further made the point that cities “have no time or patience for partisan road blocks.” The success driven by “new localism” is based on connections, horizontal decision-making structures (including a movement away from “insular silos”), and global outreach—all new features of 21st-century governing.

Three main areas of “shift” addressed in the conversation and panel at the event were growth, governance, and finance. In regard to growth, Nowak and Katz suggest cities should focus on the resources that they have and capitalize on those. This can build a niche in markets or a reputation for being the best in a certain area. From a positive reputation, cities can attract the change-makers and promising professionals of the world to come and invest their time. It is vital that cities build “Centers of Excellence” where they can attract experts in academics and business in close proximity to each other for maximum collaboration. Utah has a number of perfect of examples with this phenomenon around our universities.

For governance, Nowak and Katz say that city and county governments should “take the reins” and make innovative investments that will interest national and even global business communities. Leaders in government positions should meet with the goal to decide, not just discuss.

The third shift highlighted in the seminar was finance. Katz and Nowak opine that innovation should lead the way in financial shifts. City governments should find creative ways to leverage their resources and assets with public and private funding outreach. The precedent in government is too often a detailed knowledge of what is owed, but less understanding of what is owned which can limit the ability to consider creative finance options within a government structure.

Katz and Nowak, along with Mayor McAdams advised Utah economic, business, and government leaders in attendance to take full advantage of the “new localism” approach by asking themselves three things:

1. What is your edge?
2. Who is in charge?
3. Where is your power?

The Wasatch Front is lucky to have strong answers to each of these questions, with experienced leaders to see them through. The momentum of change is in our favor and in many ways, we are at the forefront of the positive shifts in decision-making sweeping the country. As a community, we should be wary of complacency and always continue to push Utah toward innovative and long-lasting development and growth.

Natalie Gochnour is an associate dean at the David Eccles School of Business and director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.